Edexcel GCSE History 1HI0
Anglo-Saxon and Norman England, c1060–88British depth
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Anglo-Saxon and Norman England, c1060–88
- 12 subtopics
- 35 things to know
- Paper 2 booklet B
- Paper 2, one British depth study of four
What Anglo-Saxon and Norman England, c1060–88 covers
Anglo-Saxon and Norman England, c1060–88 is examined in Paper 2, Period study and British depth study. It covers Anglo-Saxon government, economy and society, the last years of Edward the Confessor and the succession crisis, the rival claimants for the throne, the Norman invasion, 1060–66, Establishing control, 1066–87, Anglo-Saxon resistance, 1068–71, the legacy of resistance to 1087, revolt of the Earls, 1075, the feudal system and the Church, Norman government, 1066–88, the Norman aristocracy, 1066–88 and William I and the succession.
Where it is assessed
Paper 2 booklet B
British depth study, 20% of the GCSE, one option of four.
Check the Pearson Edexcel specification ↗The 12 subtopics
Each one has its own page.
- Anglo-Saxon government, economy and societyThe powers of the king, the Witan, the four earldoms, shires and hundreds, trial by oath and ordeal, thegns and peasants, burhs, and what the Church did for people and for government.Open →
- The last years of Edward the Confessor and the succession crisisThe power of the house of Godwin, its exile and return, Harold Godwinson's rise, his visit to Normandy and the oath, the rising against Tostig, and Edward's death in January 1066.Open →
- The rival claimants for the throneThe claims of William of Normandy, Harald Hardrada and Edgar the Aethling, the Witan's choice of Harold, his coronation and coastal defence, and the battles of Gate Fulford and Stamford Bridge.Open →
- The Norman invasion, 1060–66Senlac Hill on 14 October 1066, how the armies were drawn up, the shield wall, William's rally after the early flight, Harold's death, the feigned retreat, criticism of Harold, William's leadership, how the two armies differed and why the timing favoured William.Open →
- Establishing control, 1066–87William's march on London and the submissions that followed, his coronation on Christmas Day 1066, rewards for his followers, the Marcher earldoms and their powers, why castles went up so quickly, the motte and bailey design and what a castle did for Norman control.Open →
- Anglo-Saxon resistance, 1068–71The revolt of Edwin and Morcar, the northern rebellions of 1069 and the loss of York, Hereward the Wake at Ely, and why the risings were defeated one at a time.Open →
- The legacy of resistance to 1087Why William ordered the Harrying of the North, what it involved and cost, its record in Domesday, the transfer of land from English to Norman owners, and the effect on peasants.Open →
- Revolt of the Earls, 1075The three earls who led the revolt, their grievances, the Bride's Feast, Waltheof's part, how the rising was crushed while William was in Normandy, and the punishments and changes that followed.Open →
- The feudal system and the ChurchThe Norman feudal hierarchy, tenants-in-chief, homage, knight service and subinfeudation, labour service, forfeiture, why feudalism suited a conqueror, the Church's power, Stigand's deposition, Lanfranc and his reforms, Church courts, Normanisation, peasant life, the decline of slavery, what carried on unchanged and the replacement of the landowning class.Open →
- Norman government, 1066–88What William kept of English government, how he strengthened the crown and sidelined the earls, the Oath of Salisbury of 1086, regents in his absence, the Norman sheriff, the royal demesne, royal forest and forest law, and the Domesday survey, its name and its use to government.Open →
- The Norman aristocracy, 1066–88Norman French and Latin, Norman building and personal names, how a Norman lord spent his time, and Bishop Odo: William's half-brother, his part at Hastings, his role as regent, the Bayeux Tapestry and his imprisonment in 1082.Open →
- William I and the successionWilliam's character, his quarrel with his son Robert, the revolt of 1077–80 and its settlement, William's death in 1087, the division of his lands, and the rebellion of 1088.Open →
What you need to know
Answer each one before you reveal it.
What were the main features of royal government in England under William I?
How did Anglo-Saxon resistance to William develop between 1068 and 1069?
What powers made the English monarchy strong by 1060?
Why was Waltheof punished more harshly than Roger de Breteuil?
Why did Harold Godwinson go to Normandy in 1064?
When was Harold Godwinson crowned, and why so quickly?
How were the two armies drawn up at the start of the Battle of Hastings?
Who submitted to William in 1066, and what did they get in return?
What was labour service?
What language did the Norman aristocracy speak, and what did that mean for England?
What sort of man do contemporary writers describe William I as being?
What was the Witan?
Why did the Northumbrians rise against Tostig in 1065?
What happened at the Battle of Gate Fulford in September 1066?
What was the shield wall, and why was it so hard to break?
What were the Marcher earldoms, and where were they?
Why did Earls Edwin and Morcar revolt in 1068?
Why did William order the Harrying of the North in 1069–70?
Which three earls led the revolt of 1075?
What was forfeiture, and why did it hold the whole system together?
Which parts of English government did William keep after 1066?
Which language were royal documents written in under William?
How did Robert Curthose's revolt against his father end?
Which four great earldoms divided England in 1060?
How did the rising against Tostig end?
What happened when part of the Norman army fled early in the Battle of Hastings?
What were the main features of an early Norman castle?
How was the revolt of Edwin and Morcar put down?
What did the Harrying of the North involve?
What did the rebel earls plan to do?
Who was Stigand, and why was he a problem for William?
What was the Oath of Salisbury of 1086?
How did Norman taste change the look of England?
How were William’s lands divided when he died?
Take Anglo-Saxon and Norman England, c1060–88 further
The same content, four other ways.
Commonly confused
Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.
Witan vs Fyrd
Witan: the council of leading earls, thegns and churchmen that advised the king. Fyrd: the army of English men called out to fight for the king.
Motte vs Bailey
Motte: the earth mound topped by a wooden keep. Bailey: the walled enclosure below the mound holding stables and stores.
Battle of Gate Fulford vs Battle of Stamford Bridge
Battle of Gate Fulford: Hardrada's victory over Edwin and Morcar outside York. Battle of Stamford Bridge: Harold's defeat of the Norwegians, killing Hardrada and Tostig.
Questions from this topic
Each one with the model answer underneath.
- 1
What powers made the English monarchy strong by 1060?
Model answer
The king led the army, issued the law codes and the coinage, granted land to his nobles and raised the geld tax from the whole kingdom.
- 2
What was the Witan?
Model answer
A council of leading earls, thegns and churchmen that advised the king and had a say in choosing his successor.
- 3
Which four great earldoms divided England in 1060?
Model answer
Wessex, Mercia, Northumbria and East Anglia.
- 4
How was England governed below the level of the earls?
Model answer
Each shire was split into hundreds, both with their own regular courts, and a shire reeve acted for the king in collecting his dues and enforcing his law.
- 5
How did an Anglo-Saxon court decide a case when there was no clear evidence?
Model answer
The accused swore his innocence with oath-helpers, and if that failed he faced trial by ordeal, in which God was believed to reveal guilt.
- 6
What was a thegn, and what did he owe for his land?
Model answer
A local lord who held land from the king or an earl and owed military service and attendance at his lord’s court in return.
What is inside Levo
Six ways to work the same material.
Anglo-Saxon and Norman England, c1060–88 revision questions
- What does Anglo-Saxon and Norman England, c1060–88 cover in Edexcel GCSE History?
- 12 subtopics: anglo-saxon government, economy and society, the last years of edward the confessor and the succession crisis, the rival claimants for the throne, the norman invasion, 1060–66, establishing control, 1066–87, anglo-saxon resistance, 1068–71, the legacy of resistance to 1087, revolt of the earls, 1075, the feudal system and the church, norman government, 1066–88, the norman aristocracy, 1066–88 and william i and the succession. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.
- How is Anglo-Saxon and Norman England, c1060–88 organised?
- By the Edexcel 1HI0 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.
Every question in Anglo-Saxon and Norman England, c1060–88, on a schedule.
Attempt a question from memory, write the correct version, then attempt it again. Levo records the jump between your first attempt and your last, and brings each question back on the day you are due to forget it.
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